The health benefits of raw cannabis juicing

Ever wondered about throwing some cannabis in your morning juice? Raw vegetable juicing is a huge hit among the health-conscious and the cannabis community is catching on. Cannabis juicing is one of the latest health trends among cannabis-users, offering all of the nutritional and medical benefits of cannabis with zero psychoactivity.

WHAT IS CANNABIS “JUICING”?

Juicing is a new health trend among the cannabis community. It has basically evolved out of the “green juicing” trend which involves making fresh juice from raw leafy greens like lettuce, kale, spinach, etc.

Green juicing is all about extracting the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals from vegetables (and occasionally some fruit) to make super nutritious juices. Real green juice is free of sugars, artificial sweeteners, or colouring agents, and is generally made from fresh, organic produce.

Cooking vegetables like kale and spinach actually robs them of many of their nutrients Thankfully, by simply throwing the raw ingredients into a juicer and giving them a quick buzz, you’re able to preserve as much of their nutritional value as possible.

Green juice is easy to digest and allows you to quickly provide your body with a wide variety of minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals, and antioxidants.

THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF JUICING CANNABIS

Cannabis is an incredible plant. Not only does it have enormous potential as a medicine, but it may just be a new nutritional powerhouse that could change the way we go about nourishing our bodies.

While the exact nutritional value of cannabis isn't clear, we know that it is very closely related to hemp. And when it comes to superfoods, hemp is right at the top of the charts.

Here are some of the nutritional benefits of hemp:

• It’s a great source of complete protein
• It’s rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids
• It’s rich in fiber
• It has a quality amino acid profile
• It’s a great source of magnesium

In terms of nutritional value, we think it’s safe to assume that cannabis is about as nutritious as hemp. But the good news doesn’t end there.

Cannabis contains a whole variety of compounds known as cannabinoids. These cannabinoids interact with our endocannabinoid system, which is responsible for managing everything from mood and appetite to pain.

Some of these cannabinoids (such as THC, CBD, CBN, and CBG) have a vast variety of health benefits and boast everything from anti inflammatory and antiemetic properties to offering pain relief.

Here is a brief summary of some of the major health/medicinal benefits of cannabis. - Anti-inflammatory.

• Antiemetic
• Anticonvulsant
• Appetite stimulant
• Mood enhancer
• Antimetastatic

By simply throwing raw cannabis in a juicer, you’re able to extract these cannabinoids from the plant and deliver them straight to your body. Best of all, by juicing raw (or undried) cannabis, you get none of the psychoactive effects.

The main psychoactive compound in cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. THC is found in very low concentrations in live cannabis plants and is actually formed during the drying, curing, and combusting phases.

Instead, raw cannabis contains THC-A (or 9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid). This compound, although very similar to THC, isn’t psychoactive, and is believed to provide many of the same benefits as THC without leaving you starving and giggly.

CANNABIS JUICING TIPS

Before sharing some basic juicing recipes, here are some tips to remember that’ll help you maximize the nutritional and medical benefits of cannabis juicing:

Keep it cool

Never heat your cannabis when juicing. Heating cannabis leads to decarboxylation and turns THC-A into THC. Not only will this make your juice psychoactive, but it will also rob it of most of its nutritional value. To give you an idea, the same amount of raw cannabis able to provide 500-1000mg of THC-A only produces about 10mg of THC when heated.

Go organic

Whenever possible, opt to juice cannabis that has been grown organically and is free of chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, etc.The best way to get your hands on organic weed is through dispensaries and other legal retailers or by growing your own plants at home. Remember, whatever is in your weed is going to be in your juice (and essentially your body) as well.

Keep it fresh

Remember, the idea behind juicing is to use raw, fresh cannabis. Unfortunately, cannabis plant material loses most of its nutritional and medical benefits through drying and/or curing, so always make sure to use fresh, raw products.

Experiment

When it comes to juicing, the possibilities are endless. Make sure to experiment mixing your cannabis juice with other freshly juiced greens, vegetables, and fruit for the ultimate health kick.

Go pro

To make sure you get the most extracts out of your cannabis and other juice ingredients, we recommend investing in a quality juicer. Top-shelf juicers will allow you to extract the best from all your ingredients while minimizing waste.